


Never the Same Way Twice

by EvergreenLaurel



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Character Death, Developing Relationship, Divorce, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Green Card Marriage, Happy's marriage, Humor, Living Together, Marriage, Romance, Secret Marriage, Walter/Happy, Wappy, unusual pairing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-10-31 14:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10901565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvergreenLaurel/pseuds/EvergreenLaurel
Summary: .It felt pointless now to try to prove their marriage true since Toby was…but they had started the ball rolling and there was no going back. Either they convinced the government that they were happily married or Walter was deported to Ireland and Happy charged with fraud.Chapter 14: Beneficial. Walter has something to discuss with Happy.





	1. Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> This story was born out of a challenge I issued myself after finding practically no Walter/Happy pairings anywhere I looked. I began to wonder if it was feasible and, turns out, I think it is! But I had to kill Toby to make it work. I'm terribly sorry. As a major Quintis fan, it hurt so much to do it. But, take heart, things get much more lighthearted starting in the next chapter! So stick with me, please! Just pretend for a little bit that Toby never existed. It makes it easier. The beginning quote is from the middle of 3x05, Bat Poop Crazy, and that's about where the story begins, timeline-wise.

“ _\--Because scary things are always silent. Where’s the logic in that?” Sly’s voice was cut off by his scream. The sound coming through Happy’s comm was suddenly thrown into a cacophony of Cabe’s yells, Paige’s gasps, and the shuffling of feet and one sound that her trained ears zeroed in on in a fraction of a second and never forgot: a short yelp, a sickly crack, and a dull thud, in such rapid procession that they could barely be distinguished. And then Walter’s voice, confirming all her worst fears: “Toby!”_

_And that was all it took. Toby’s neck had snapped on impact. The next few days were a blur for Happy but her memory retained flashes. The sounds of the mission being finished grimly and quickly, the bat medicine being released, and the soft grunts of Cabe as he slowly carried Toby’s body out of the caves. She had vague images a suddenly somber Ralph bringing her water and food and talking grimly about the need for her to sustain herself until the others arrived. The face of the stern USCIS case worker who was surprisingly sympathetic to their grief and left them alone for a few weeks, never laying eyes on the awful Halloween album. Toby’s face so calm in his coffin. So unlike him. So still. So…_

“Toby!” This time it was Happy’s own voice that hoarsely yelled the name of the dead as she sat straight up in bed. Happy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had woken from nightmares before but rarely did they bleed into reality enough to make her yell herself awake. Movement on her right made her jump and her body tensed until she remembered that she and Walter still reluctantly shared a bed. It felt pointless now to try to prove their marriage true since Toby was—but they had started the ball rolling and there was no going back; their case worker, Linehan, wasn’t going to give them space to grieve forever. Either they convinced the government that they were happily married or Walter was deported to Ireland and Happy charged with fraud. Happy scooted an inch or two back toward her side of the bed and hoped that Walter had just been shifting in his sleep.

No luck, Walter’s face lifted from his pillow and into a shaft of light. “Happy? Are you okay?”

Looking down at her hands, still clutching at the comforter, Happy realized she was trembling. She swallowed hard. “I’m fine, Walter. Sorry to wake you.”

Even Walter could probably tell she was lying about being fine, but he just nodded and settled back under the covers, turning his back to Happy to give her privacy for which she was extremely grateful. He had seen her cry, he had grieved himself, he had survived her week of extreme anger and the subsequent breakdown, and now there was nothing left to be done now but live anyway. And so Walter had let her. While others walked on eggshells, Happy’s boss had never left her in want of distracting and difficult work. Toby’s things were packed away quickly; Happy’s perfect memory wouldn’t need physical reminders of her pain. Walter gave her space. Gave her time. And had not been afraid to speak Toby’s name like it would unleash floodgates. So when Walter turned away from her shaking figure, it was just another in a long line of evidences proving that he understood what Happy needed more than anyone else did.

Happy glanced over at the clock—it shone 2:16 in the darkness. She could get up and try to lose herself in one of the unfinished projects laying around her work area, or she could lay back down and let her body at least be horizontal a little longer. Either way, her mind would be tortured by thoughts of Toby and her eyes would be bloodshot by morning—there was no getting around that. However, the adrenaline from the nightmare was starting to wear off and her limbs were starting to feel heavier. She could force herself up like so many nights before but, after so many nights of so little sleep, Happy just didn’t have the physical energy to do it again. She scooted back down under the covers and closed her eyes, rebuilding her motorcycle engine in her head to try to keep her mind off her ever-present grief and away from nightmare territory.

She had just finished mentally screwing on the oil cap when a quiet mutter came from the other side of the queen bed. “Hey, Happy?”

“Yeah?”

“Sleep well.”

Happy couldn’t help her wry chuckle. However, it was Walter’s way of trying to give her a little bit of comfort after her nightmare without smothering her. “Thanks, Walt.” She muttered and turned onto her side, placing engine parts with her mind until her deprived body betrayed her into the darkness of slumber.


	2. Movie Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, this one won't be quite so sad. I wanted to get this chapter out quick to help everyone move on from the horror of the last chapter. I should mention that there are kind of spoilers for the ending of The Notebook and the premise of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Also, I should have mentioned this last chapter, but a BIG thank you to my beta dianalw. She is a big reason why my writing ever looks polished and believable. Without further ado, enjoy!

“Paige gave us some movies to watch so that we can better pretend to be in blissful nuptials.” Happy placed the stack of chick flicks on the workbench and looked up at Walter. It was the end of the day and everyone else had gone home. Happy would rather spend her off-time doing something, anything, other than watching blithe romance play out on a screen but Paige had taken over the role as their fake-relationship coach and insisted that they spend their evenings practicing.

“The brain responds positively to displays of stereotypical signs of attachment, most of which can be found in society’s storytelling mechanisms such as television and film. Paige is right, if we study these films and attempt to duplicate the external aspects of the relationships we will have a better chance of duping our USCIS case worker,” Walter’s spiel accompanied deft rearranging on the furniture so that one of their work screens was facing the couch and a laptop sat handy to accept dvds.

Happy sighed as she made her way over to the couch herself, the disks in tow, “You certainly sound excited to watch a bunch of people be controlled by their oxytocin.”

“Not really,” Walter solemnly looked Happy in the eye. “But we said we’d do whatever it took to keep Scorpion together.” He didn’t say “what’s left of it” but Happy could practically hear it between the lines.

“Yeah, we did,” she nodded and picked up the stack of films. “What should we watch first?” She lifted the first dvd on the stack. “’The Notebook’?”

“Why not?” Walter took the dvd and stuck it in the laptop, screen-casting it onto the monitor.

Two hours passed slowly. Happy could see the ending a mile away. An ending that she didn’t care to see at all. Her whole body tensed. Why had Paige put this in the stack, anyway? Was it Torture Happy Day or something? Happy flicked the monitor off just as the final scene began.

“It’s stupid,” Happy croaked by way of explanation.

“Yeah, it’s stupid. Perhaps we picked the wrong film to start with,” Walter agreed. He looked over at Happy, then down at her clenched fists, concern etching its way across his eyebrows. Turning toward her on the couch, he swallowed hard before speaking. “Listen, Happy, I know I’ll never be as good at this as Toby was but we’ve been friends for a really long time, you can talk to me if you want to.”

“Let’s just watch something different,” Happy suggested, grabbing the next dvd off the stack. Surely they couldn’t all be horrible. Plus it would give her time to cool off before having to deal with any of the emotions coursing through her. She handed the disk to Walter.

“'How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days',” Walter read aloud. “I’m beginning to doubt Paige’s wisdom concerning film choices.” However, after getting no response from Happy, he shrugged and placed it into the laptop.

Happy knew how much Walter hated exercises in futility so in the back of her mind hoped that this one would be better. Shockingly, it was. Paige almost made up for putting a tragic love story in her stack by including a film about two people pretending to have a relationship. It was a lot stupider and much less intense than the previous film and Happy felt herself beginning to relax again. By the end of the movie she had regained her calm. As the credits played she looked over at Walter who looked like he was processing an awful lot.

“Something interesting, boss?” She inquired.

Walter drew his fingers through his hair. “I am going over commonalities in behaviors in the relationships in the movies. I think I will make a list of relationship behaviors for us to practice.” He moved to get up from the couch.

“Walter, wait,” Happy could hardly believe her voice but she trudged on with what she had to say.

“Thank you for your offer to talk. I’ve just never been very good at opening up, especially about things that really matter. You saw how long it took with Toby. He had to present himself on a silver platter for months before I said anything. I’m just not good at this.”

Walter nodded, “I understand better than most people. I may not be the best example, but studies have shown that people who internalize their emotions experience more pain than people who share them. I’m discreet and have known you for longer than even Toby did. It could be therapeutic.”

Happy’s initial reaction was to brush him off, say something snide, or just leave and sit in her car for a few hours of alone time. However, if there was one thing that her stupid shrink had taught her was that opening up wasn’t always a bad thing, and Walter was an easy candidate to open up to, given their long history and loyal friendship. After a long pause Happy gave a short nod and began to talk.


	3. The 12 Point Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: in writing this story I had to actually wrote up a 12-point document to reference. It's kind of messy and incomplete but I might post it as a bonus at the end if anyone is interested in seeing it. 
> 
> Again, many thanks to my beta, dianalw without whom this story would be a lot messier. Enjoy!

“Happy! You will be pleased to know that I have finished our list of relationship behaviors to practice. Here’s your copy,” Happy looked up from dismantling her drill as Walter placed a stack of paper on her workbench and smiled proudly. “With my twelve-point plan, we will prove our marriage and I’ll get my citizenship in no time.”

Happy shot a skeptical look back at Walter and picked up the papers. She had to hand it to him, he was thorough. They had seen nine chick flicks in the past week alone and, although she was sure they were losing IQ points by just watching them, Walter had faithfully kept track of the behaviors of the strongest couples. “Point one: Eye Contact,” Happy read aloud. “Efforts should be made to maintain extended eye contact at least six times a day.” She raised her eyebrow.

“Studies have shown that even infants look longer at things that they like. It’s one of the subtle things that our subconscious does that can be picked up by someone particularly observant… like our USCIS case agent,” Walter explained. “And in those movies we saw, the couples did an inordinate amount of staring into each others eyes.”

“Okay, seems easy enough,” Happy shrugged and moved on. “Point two: Holding Hands.”

“This should be done whenever we are next to each other and aren’t doing something else with our hands. Especially on beaches and during stressful situations,” Walter moved around the bench to point out the parts on the paper. “I have a list of situations in which it seems appropriate to hold hands.”

“I’m gonna nix holding hands while I’m driving,” Happy grabbed a pencil out of her breast pocket and marked it off the list. “There’s no way I can properly drive while clutching your sweaty mitt.”

“Agreed,” Walter nodded. “That would be inefficient. But I don’t have sweaty palms.”

“Whatever,” Happy scanned the rest of the pages. “Standing Distance… Cuddling… Kissing?” She paused. “Walter, no. We did it once for the wedding, I’m not planning on reliving that.”

“It won’t mean anything,” If Happy squinted, she thought Walter was blushing a little. “Paige insists that a couple in a healthy marriage has to be comfortable performing all the couple behaviors—even kissing. Since none of this feels comfortable but we said we’d do whatever it takes. Logically, it makes sense to practice.” The redness Happy thought she saw disappeared and was replaced by determination and the look Walter always seemed to get on his face when he was sure he was right. “You are still willing to do whatever it takes, right?”

“Yeah, fine,” Happy’s breath caught in her throat as she added. “Just not yet, okay?”

“Because of Toby?” The words spilled out of Walter’s mouth and then he winced as if he immediately regretted his rhetorical question.

She decided to let him off the hook, “Because I’m going to have to work myself up to kissing someone who reeks of fermented fish half the time.” Happy half smiled and whacked Walter in the sternum.

Walter smiled back, relieved that she gave him such an easy out from his foot-in-mouth scenario. “I’ll buy some breath mints.”


	4. Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to have a steady Wednesday and Saturday upload schedule for these. As always, kudos to my awesome beta, dianalw. :) Enjoy!

“Did you get more eggs at the store yesterday?” Happy leaned over the counter and put finishing touches on the piecrust she was sculpting into what she had determined was the optimum shape for minimum leakage. 

“Yes. The carton is wedged on its side in the door of the fridge. Storing eggs on their side ensures a more centered yolk if we decide to hard boil any of them,” Walter said from his perch at the stove, pushing onion and bacon around in a sizzling pan. 

“Copy that, boss,” Happy finished with the crust and grabbed a bowl before heading to the fridge. Opening the door, her gaze slid over the well-stocked shelves. It was an unusual sight given the team’s affinity for take-out, but the first uncomfortable couple days sharing a bed had led to Walter and her both waking up early, hungry, and bored. In such a state, making breakfast just seemed the natural thing to do. Before they knew it, it had become a habit and the fridge was regularly stocked with breakfast foods. They both remembered Toby’s tendency of bringing bagels or other sort of breakfast in for the team and so, as well as filling the early morning hours with something productive, it seemed a fitting tribute to the shrink. Toby’s memory would never fade from their eidetic memories, so they had both agreed to focus on the happier parts in hopes of staving off some of the pain. Happy pulled the eggs, milk, and butter out of the fridge and brought the load over to the table before cracking four eggs into the bowl. Quiche was a particular favorite of theirs to make since it was endlessly temperamental and thus kept their genius brains occupied as they searched for the best combinations of heat, convection, egg to liquid ratio, cheese type, etc. etc.

“This time I think we should try a water bath to even out the heat distribution,” Walter declared as he scraped his cooked mixture into the piecrust. “And I used uncured bacon so you should increase the amount of salt by 18%.”

“On it,” Happy measured out the extra salt and whisked it into the egg mixture. “Before the water bath we should cook it at 400° for ten minutes to brown the crust. I didn’t blind bake it this time.”

“Good idea, should hold the filling in better,” Walter agreed as he added cheese on top of his mixture and smiled over at Happy, touching her shoulder briefly (point seven on the twelve-step plan: Spontaneous Touches). 

Finally used to Walter’s hands randomly on her shoulder, arm, or back, Happy didn’t flinch this time and even smiled back as she poured her egg mixture slowly into the crust.

“Something smells good!” Paige’s voice came from the other side of the garage and soon she and Ralph rounded to corner to the kitchen. “Ooo… bacon quiche, Ralph’s favorite.” She rubbed Ralph’s head before he rushed over to see the new convection fan Happy had installed in the oven.

Walter looked up at Paige, “Well, the cod quiche-” 

“Not my idea!” Happy chimed in.

“-the cod quiche didn’t go over so well last week so I thought we’d go back to something basic,” Walter finished, sending a disgruntled glance good-humoredly over at Happy. “And who doesn’t like artery-clogging bacon?”

“Well, I’m glad that you and Happy are agreeing on things so much lately because I have a new activity for you to do together,” Paige declared, pulling an over-sized bag onto the table. 

“Activity?” Walter’s eyebrows knit together. 

“Couples do stuff together.”

“We work together. We ‘do stuff together’ all the time,” Happy defended, setting the timer for the quiche and walking back over to Paige and Walter.

“Fun stuff,” Paige beamed, starting to rummage around in her bag.

“Work is fun,” Walter insisted.

“Outside of work. Now I read about a game online that I think you might like. It’s from Japan. It’s called Go.” A large box came out of Paige’s bag and she began to unpack a board and a bags of white and black stones. “It was the most complex game I could find.”

“I love this game!” Happy stepped closer to the table and picked up a bag of stones. “There was this Japanese kid at one of the foster homes I stayed at and he had a set. I got really good.” 

“I’m familiar with the concepts but I’ve never had the chance to play it,” Walter muttered, his eyes shining with interest.

“Well, I’m gonna kick your butt,” Happy declared, and for a moment felt more lighthearted than she had in weeks. Toby had been the instigator of most of the games they played in the garage so there had been a decided lull as of late and there was nothing that quite got her blood pumping like competition. “After work?”

Walter seemed to sense her anticipation and nodded, suddenly excited himself, “We will see how good you really are, Happy Quinn.”

-

The next morning Paige walked in to find both of them sprawled out asleep on the couch, an unfinished game of Go on the coffee table. She chuckled to herself and tiptoed into the kitchen to make breakfast herself. Maybe they would fool the USCIS case worker after all.


	5. Loss

“Ah, Happy, you’re back, I set up another game of Go, I have some new strategies I want to try out--” Walter paused as Happy ignored him, walking into her work area like she hadn’t heard him at all. Walter deliberated a moment, then followed, walking slowly and cautiously. He found Happy furiously pounding away with a wrench at some project on her workbench that didn’t look like it needed to be pounded quite so hard. “Happy…?” He ventured, stopping a good three feet away from her for safety reasons.

Happy ignored him for a few seconds longer before her activity slowed and she closed her eyes, sitting down hard on her stool. Walter suddenly remembered why she had been out, “Did something happen at the doctor’s office?” They’d talked little about her pregnancy since Toby’s death but she had mentioned something about an appointment that afternoon. Something about being way overdue for her three week appointment. She must have canceled for Toby’s funeral and then not wanted to think about it for a while.

Walter heard Happy take a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m not pregnant. It was either a chemical pregnancy or cadmium poisoning messing with my hormones and making me think I was pregnant. He said he can’t really tell at this point.” Her hands started to go back to her tools.

Walter processed this information. On the one hand, it meant that she wasn’t going to be a single mom. On the other hand, she looked pretty upset. “Do you want to talk about it?” He yelled over the din of the work she returned to.

Happy yelled back, “No. I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Walter started to go back to his desk but then stopped and turned on his heel. “You may be fine, but that wrench isn’t going to be if you keep using it that way.”

Happy stopped mid-swing and looked over at Walter. It was the first time she had made eye contact since entering the garage and Walter could see why. Her eyes were puffy and red, like she had been crying. Walter softened his tone, “And I don’t think you’re fine, either.”

Happy paused for a long moment then said, “I guess I felt like our baby was a little piece of Toby I could keep. But it’s not real.” She swallowed hard and seemed to be trying to keep herself from crying again.

Walter moved toward her slowly and his hand found her upper back and started moving in slow circles. It was one of the relationship behaviors they had practiced but he didn’t expect Happy to accept it so easily or for it to feel so right. “I’m sorry, Happy. If I could change things, I would.”

Happy nodded and leaned into his touch. “I know,” She sounded choked.

Walter wasn’t sure what to do at this point. He wasn’t exactly skilled at comforting people. That was more Paige’s area. Or Cabe’s. Or anyone but his. He racked his brain for what people did in these sorts of situations. Happy had essentially just lost someone close to her. Remembering what Paige did when he was broken up about losing his sister, Walter suddenly decided to put his life in own hands and risk Happy’s reaction. He reached out and wrapped his arms around a trembling Happy.

And, surprisingly, after a mere moment of tensing up, she let him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was super short, I know! The next one will be longer. Oh, and for those who don't know, a chemical pregnancy is essentially a really early miscarriage. The only real evidence that there was a pregnancy at all is the chemical reaction on a pregnancy stick--thus the "chemical" part. I did a lot of research on cadmium poisoning, pregnancy, and false positive pregnancy tests and it looks like the most medically likely scenario.


	6. Celebration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, due to wifi access issues, update days this week will be shifted. Instead of Wednesday and Saturday we'll do Monday and Thursday. This one's a bit longer and a bit more fluffy. Enjoy!

“Happy, it’s time, Linehan will be here in approximately 36 seconds,” Walter called across the garage as he scrambled over the to couch. “Do you have the photo album?”

“Got it!” Happy called back, quickly crossing the room and settling next to Walter on the couch. In no time Walter’s arm was around her shoulders and she had snuggled up next to him, the photo album open on their lap. They had ditched the fake Halloween book at Paige’s suggestion and made another, more appropriate, album of Happy and Walter posing together next to their favorite joint inventions or repairs. It had actually been Cabe’s idea after he saw how proudly they smiled when showing off whatever their latest project had been. He had laughed and said that they looked like the proud parents of a child who just won a spelling bee. It had actually been a pretty easy photo-shoot if you didn’t count all the driving around to the different locations where their best work was still in use. In any case, they hoped it would fool the USCIS whose worker was due to arrive any second.

Sure enough, momentarily the door to the garage opened and Linehan stepped through, looking fierce. It wasn’t a surprise. She had been skeptical since her initial assessment and all their efforts hadn’t seemed to be working very quickly to reverse that opinion. “Good evening,” Linehan’s tone was her usual brusque, “Reminiscing on some good memories this evening?” She raised her eyebrow at the photo album in their lap.

“Yes,” Walter quickly offered the book to her without taking his arm from around Happy’s shoulders. “As geniuses we take pride in what we accomplish, especially together.” He sent a smile Happy’s way and she made a point to hold eye contact and smile back.

“I see,” the case agent squinted at the photos as she flipped through them. “You’ve done a lot of work together then.”

“Yes, when I started Scorpion, it was just myself and Happy. We soon found that there were not very many problems we couldn’t solve between the two of us,” Walter nodded eagerly, seemingly glad to be speaking of an honest part of their past.

“So here’s the million dollar question,” Linehan flipped the book closed and handed it back to Walter. “What is the happy couple doing for their anniversary today?”

Happy froze. Their anniversary. She hadn’t even thought about it. And Walter likely saw anniversary celebrations as trivial, futile, and unnecessary activities that only served to complicate an arbitrary date on the calendar or something like that. So, even if he did remember, there was little chance of him thinking to plan anything. Happy tried to casually glance his way in hopes that a warning glance would encourage him to keep his mouth shut while she thought of an excuse, but he was already up off the couch and headed toward his desk.

“I thought you might ask that,” Walter said as he opened a drawer and rifled some papers around. “This was going to be a surprise for my wife, but I guess now’s as good of a time as any for me to tell you, Happy,” He beamed and walked over to Happy who was sure her face was giving away her shock perhaps a little too much. “I booked us dinner at Le Renard tonight as well as acquired us tickets to the New Wave Auto-Engine exhibit in town this weekend.” He held up a stack of confirmation papers and handed them to Linehan.

Happy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She stood slowly and racked her brain for how a normal wife would react to such a well thought-out anniversary gift. With an inward wince she realized what she had to do. Giving Walter the nicest smile she could muster she reached up and placed her hands around the back of his neck. “Thank you, Walter,” and with that Happy pulled Walter down and pushed her lips on his for a count of three (as outlined in Subsection B of Point 9 of their 12 Point Plan: Brief Kissing Duration). Pulling back, she patted him lightly on the chest and turned to give their case agent her best oh-we’ve-done-that-a-million-times grin despite the fact that she wasn’t sure what that was supposed to look like, and they actually had only done ‘that’ once, on their wedding day, and much more briefly. Despite their intention to practice, Walter had backed off after her initial reaction and so it had been left up to Happy to instigate the activity—something that she was definitely not going to do. Until now, she supposed, shooting a quick glance at Walter with the hope that he had recovered from his surprise quickly.

Thankfully, Walter regained his composure in time to remember to slip his arm around her waist (Subsection C of Point 8: Standing Cuddling) and say “You’re very welcome, Darling.” (Point eleven: Pet Names).

“I see,” Linehan didn’t seem completely convinced but her eyebrows rose just a little. Happy guessed she was either surprised, or impressed at the lengths they went to to keep up the charade. A beat passed before the case agent switched tactics. “Six years...” she placed the papers on a nearby table. “That’s a long time to be married without any children.” She turned to Happy, “Surely you’ve talked about children?”

Happy’s breath caught in her throat. This was another question she was definitely not prepared for. Her heart felt like it was constricting and her middle felt particularly empty all of a sudden. She vaguely noticed Walter stepping forward and over, blocking her partially from Linehan’s gaze. His arm lifted slightly in front of Happy as if to protect her.

“I would appreciate if you did not discuss that subject with Happy,” His voice was cold: a sharp form of Walter’s typical emotionless cadence. “You have no business with her loss.” Happy closed her eyes, leaned into the support his defense gave, and felt her heartbeat slowing. In couple seconds she was able to calmly open her eyes and look into the dawning realization on Linehan’s face.

The case agent’s face softened for a moment before she said quickly, “I understand. You have my condolences. Enjoy your evening.” And with that her heels clicked out of the garage.

Walter turned abruptly and his gaze searched Happy’s face, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, peachy.” Walter looked a touch suspicious so she smiled and drained the sarcasm from her tone. “No, really. I am fine. Good work remembering our anniversary,” Happy quickly changed to subject to something less intense, motioning to the papers on the nearby table.

“From my review of popular culture, it is a grave mistake for a husband to forget his wedding anniversary,” Walter explained going over and picking up the confirmations. “Le Renard is frequented by many romantic couples according to my research, and you like cars, so tickets to the exhibit seemed the ‘thoughtful’ choice.”

Happy nodded then paused before carefully asking, “Are those tickets real?”

“Of course. It will be informative for us to attend, there’s talk of a low emission engine running on a new kind of biofuel and several new engine designs are getting good chatter on the web,” Walter confirmed.

Happy couldn’t hide her excitement, “Awesome. I looked for a ticket the other day but they were sold out.”

Walter shrugged, “What’s the saying, ‘The Early Bird Gets the Worm’? Or in this case tickets to the cutting-edge auto exhibit….” Walter paused and seemed to deliberate briefly before continuing, “You know, the reservation is real as well and efficiency dictates that we not let it go to waste…. Would you like to go to dinner?”

Happy looked up from examining the tickets, “Sure, I’m starving.”

Walter moved to pick up his jacket from his desk chair, “Then we should go.” He slipped his arms into his jacket. “Hey, Happy, I don’t think I said: Happy Anniversary.”

Happy snorted a laugh, “You too, Walt. And… thank you. For what you did with Linehan earlier.”

Walter walked over to stand in front of Happy, “You don’t need to thank me. You’ve been my most faithful friend and colleague. She had no right to ask you that. Married or not, I’ve got your back, Happy.”

Happy’s smile came easier than it had in a long time, “Ditto. Now, c’mon, I’m going to have to drive to get us there on time.”


	7. Fortune

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super glad that this is the chapter I'm posting before going away from WiFi until next Wednesday because this is one of my favorites. It took me a good long while to come up with how I was going to do this chapter and I'm decently pleased with how it turned out. Enjoy!

“I know we’ve been through some harrowing stuff, but today was brutal,” Sylvester groaned as he dropped his bags on the floor of the garage. “All I want is a really hot bath and an enormous amount of sleep.”

“I think we all deserve a good night’s rest after chasing a radioactive donkey three miles through Peruvian forest,” Paige chimed in, wiping some dirt off her forehead as she leaned over the little mirror she kept on her desk.

“Copy that,” Cabe agreed, rubbing his shoulder with one hand and grabbing his keys with the other. “I’ll take you home, Sly. We can pick up some burgers on the way.”

“Sounds good,” Sylvester followed Cabe out of the garage as Happy and Walter entered, having arrived in a different vehicle.

“Where’s Tim?” Happy asked, looking around the garage as she tossed Walter his car keys. They had been eager to get back quickly, so she had driven.

“He went to pick up Ralph from the sitter’s then meet me back at my apartment for dinner.” Paige slung her bag over her shoulder and gave them a tired smile. “Goodnight, guys.”

“Goodnight,” Walter gave Paige a curt nod from his seat at his desk. Happy wondered how much of his coldness came from being exhausted and how much came from mention of Paige’s date with Tim. Either way, he seemed to recover rather quickly and his face softened as he focused back on his computer screen.

Happy grabbed her cell phone and looked at Walter, “Chinese?”

“Yes, please.”

-

Dinner was a rather quick affair. Their preferred take-out place delivered promptly and the long day had rendered them both particularly hungry. Their final bites of rice were interrupted by a buzzing sound from the loft. Walter shot up, “Laundry’s done, I should go start another load.” Happy nodded, too tired to even try to offer to help.

“Do you have any whites to be washed?” Walter called down a few moments later. Almost from the beginning they had started washing their clothes together. Efficiency dictated the conservation of water, soap, time, etc.

“Yeah; look in my duffle!” Happy called back, popping the last bite of egg roll into her mouth and picking up the fortune cookies. “What a shoddy piece of engineering,” she muttered as Walter came down the stairs.

“I’ve always thought so,” Walter sat down on the couch next to her and started to examine of the cookies. “The factory machines they use don’t allow for complete encompassing of the paper leading to problems like this,” He took his cookie out of the wrapper and, without breaking it, shook the fortune out of the slot. “While fortune-telling is inane, false, and archaic, this,” he sighed and held up the cookie, “is just sad.”

“I’ll bet if you changed the angle of the bend and used a thinner paper with specially formulated ink, you could solve the problem by baking the fortune inside the cookie,” Happy mused looking at her own cookie. She was tired, but this sort of problem-solving gave her an extra shot of energy.

“Rice paper and ink made from fruit could yield an entirely edible cookie,” Walter added, seemingly getting his second wind as well. “But how would you solve for...”

It didn’t take long for them to end up at the whiteboard for the better part of an hour, designing and re-designing the simple dessert. They were on their fourth diagram and arguing over snap to crumb ratios when a knock on the door interrupted their proceedings.

Walter and Happy looked at each other, startled. Who would come by at this time of night? They leaned to look out a window and saw a familiar dark blue Toyota.

“Linehan,” Walter muttered, surprised. “She’s not scheduled to be here. This isn’t on her calendar.”

“Well, ready or not, we better get the door before our matrimonial warden thinks we’re trying to avoid her,” Happy hurried to open the door.

“Mrs. Quinn, Mr. O’Brien,” the USCIS worker nodded at the couple as she walked in. “I have some news for you.”

Walter glanced nervously over at Happy who started to feel panic rise in her chest. Instinctively they moved closer together, hands interlocking as if the simple gesture would buy them favor enough for some good news.

“I have been watching your relationship for months now with the upmost scrutiny and, I must say, I haven’t been very impressed,” Linehan’s voice was as firm and cold as ever, it was if its sound waves lowered the temperature in the room. “Both of you are very… strange people and your relationship behavior has more often looked like it was taken from a bad romance movie than developed over time.”

Happy felt Walter’s hand squeeze her own and she braced herself for whatever came next. They had tried so hard. Could they have possibly done more?

“However,” Linehan looked from Walter to Happy then back again and softened her tone ever so slightly. “Pregnancy and miscarriage,” at this she got a sharp look from Walter but raised her hand in truce and continued. “Pregnancy and miscarriage is one of the hardest things that a married couple can go through. It takes an immense amount of trust and faithfulness to come out on the other side. From what I can see, these qualities are abundant in your relationship, no matter how odd the other parts are. I may not understand you, but you understand each other and that’s got to count for something.” At this their USCIS case agent sighed and looked at Walter. “I’ve recommended that you receive you citizenship, O'Brien.”

Happy allowed herself a triumphant grin and turned to give Walter a hug—she didn’t expect the movement to be so natural or his arms to respond so quickly. Despite what Linehan said, she felt they had gotten really good at the couple stuff.

“So now I’ll be out of your hair,” Linehan turned to go but Walter’s voice stopped her.

“Thank you,” he said as Happy released him and turned to smile at the case agent.

Linehan just nodded, pulled her keys out of her purse, and, with that, was gone.

A beat or two passed as Happy and Walter let the news sink in. They had done it. It was over. Walter would get his citizenship. Happy wouldn’t be a felon. Silence stretched longer as all the ramifications of the news ran through their heads. Finally, Happy broke the silence.

“So, uh, I guess I should move out.”

“Oh, yes, of course. I’m sure you miss your apartment.”

“And I’m sure you miss having your bed to yourself.” They paused a moment, suddenly feeling awkward.

After what seemed like forever, Walter finally spoke, “You know, it’s already 8:00. It would be significantly easier to transport your things during daylight.”

Unexpectedly, Happy felt relieved at his words, “You’re right. And it’s been a long day. We’re both really tired.”

“Tomorrow then.”

“Yeah. Tomorrow.”


	8. Moving Day

Happy’s things were back in her apartment by the next afternoon. Finally moving her back to her place was something they had been waiting to do for a long time, but Happy was surprised at how somber an affair it turned out to be. Although it wasn’t the case at all, it almost felt like they were breaking up, and, when Walter drove away from her apartment after helping her unload, she felt strangely empty. She was just used to having another person around, she told herself. It’d fade and she’d start to enjoy her solitude again. Right?

Walter drove back from Happy’s apartment slowly. He had his citizenship and the loading and unloading of Happy’s things had been very efficient; he could take satisfaction from that. But for some reason he didn’t feel right. It was like the uncomfortable sensation of forgetting something. Did he leave something behind at Happy’s apartment? His hand touched his phone, his wallet, his coat. No, everything was there; why did it seem like he was missing something really important?

Happy surveyed her apartment. She’d been back a few times in the past weeks to pick up clothing or other random item she needed, so it wasn’t an unfamiliar sight. Needed a little TLC, elbow grease, and a touch of Windex to make it look well-cared-for again but, overall, nothing had really changed since before she moved in with Walter. Yet, still, it almost felt like she was in a stranger’s home. Like the Happy Quinn who once lived there no longer existed. It felt _wrong._

Walter stepped into the garage and made a beeline for his desk. Work. Work was what he needed to shake this weird feeling. If he could just get lost in his work he would forget the weird car ride and the strange sensation of leaving something important behind. Maybe he had just eaten something funny? Turning on his computer, he clicked on the first project he saw and got to work. In no time his mind was filled with diagrams and lines of code and theoretical physics: nice, stable, comfortable subjects that he could settle into for hours. All feelings faded into numbers and letters and precise drawings and Walter was pretty sure he was cured until, “Hey, Happy, could you come look at this? The engineering on this model seems to...” Walter trailed off as he glanced over at Happy’s station and saw that she wasn’t there. Oh, yes, she was at her apartment. She wouldn’t be back until Monday. Crud, there was that sensation again.

Happy tossed and turned all night. Why couldn’t she get comfortable? And why was she so cold? She rolled out of bed and fiddled with the thermostat. It seemed to be in good working order; she’d have to run a complete diagnostic in the morning. Maybe the thing needed calibrating. Crawling back into bed she pulled the covers up tight and grabbed the first book off the pile of books she had left to sort after the move. It was an advanced Go strategy book Walter had gotten her as a weak attempt at humor after he won his first game against her. A ghost of a smile crossed over Happy’s face. It may have been a rather lame joke, but it was actually a good book—a few of the strategies had assisted in a couple wins against the 197 IQ. She flipped through the pages, speedreading the ones that she’d dog-earred, then plopped the book down on the floor beside her bed. Great. Not only was she not sleepy but now she wanted to play Go. Not good.

Walter laid wide awake in his bed for what felt like much too long. He had gone to bed early in hopes that a good night’s rest would reset everything and restore equilibrium but the good night’s rest part was eluding him. For the past few weeks he and Happy had taken to reviewing the day’s activities before falling asleep—assessing their successes and failures and what they could do better the next day. It was very productive and marked well the day’s completion. Maybe that was why he couldn’t fall asleep. He just felt… incomplete.

Happy finally fell into a few hours of restless slumber. At 4 am she woke and decided that she just couldn’t sleep anymore. Turning on the light, she started to get dressed. Might as well if she wasn’t going to get any more rest for whatever reason. Sitting on her bed to tie her shoelaces, her eyes caught on the discarded Go book from the night before. Too bad the game was back at the garage with Walter.

Walter woke up with a start, his hand groping at the empty space beside him in bed. A moment passed as the fog of sleep lifted from his brain and he sternly reminded himself that Happy was fine—just back at her apartment. He glanced over at the clock. 5:30, late enough. He pulled himself out of bed and yanked on his standard slacks and button-down. If Happy was there he would have gone behind one of their partitions to change in an effort to maintain some form of privacy, but with Happy gone he was free to get dressed wherever he wanted. The thought brought him no joy. Heading to the stairs, Walter’s nose caught scent of… coffee? Who would be in the garage this early on a Sunday? He quickly climbed down the first half of the stairs so he could get a good view of the building. And there, sitting on the couch with a mug in her hand and the Go board on the table in front of her, sat Happy Quinn. Walter suddenly felt much better.

“Happy,” Walter muttered in surprise. She looked up and gave him a guilty smile. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“Well, my apartment has no food and no coffee,” She gestured to the kitchen. “I moved all my good stuff here or threw it away because it was going bad. I made coffee and cheese toast if you want it.”

Walter finished descending the rest of the stairs and headed to the kitchen, “Uh, thanks.” Returning with a mug of his own and a plate of food, Walter noticed Happy arranging the Go board to the starting position.

“Wanna play a game?” She asked, placing the bags of stones on either side of the board and looking up at Walter who couldn’t help but note the dark circles under her eyes.

“Sure,” He took a seat on the couch and grabbed his bag of stones. “Which variation?”

“Miai-Go,” Happy placed her first two stones on the board. “So how did you sleep last night?”

Walter took one of her stones off before adding his two contenders. “Horrible. You?”

“Same,” Happy removed one of his stones and slipped hers on the board, looking up at him with what strangely looked like a relieved expression on her face. “Your turn.”


	9. Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super short but important. It's setting up for some interesting things starting next chapter, which I may try to get up early because this one is so short. Also, unless I decide on an epilogue, this story will be 14 chapters long, I think. Enjoy!

“Paige is an idiot.” Happy sat cross-legged on the big table and watched Walter shuffle papers around next to her, seemingly trying to look very busy.

“No, she’s not,” He muttered by way of response as he grabbed a pen and made a note on one of the papers.

Happy sighed. “Okay, you’re right. But she shouldn’t have picked Tim.”

Walter’s hands stilled and he looked up at Happy with an odd look of resignation on his face. “Logically-”

Happy rolled her eyes and interrupted before he could say something really stupid, “Shut up, Walter. Love’s not logical. We both know that.” When Paige had walked in that morning, excitedly showing off the diamond ring on her left hand and chatting 90 miles an hour about how Tim had taken her up ‘the most beautiful’ mountain and said ‘the sweetest things’, the first thing Happy had thought of was how Walter was going to take it. Paige and Tim had been dating for the better part of a year, but marriage permanently cemented the fact that Paige had chosen Tim over Walter. Walter’s begrudging acceptance of their relationship aside, he had been pining after Paige for a really long time.

“Well, it’s over, Happy, Paige is marrying Tim.” Walter’s voice was resolute as he turned back to his papers.

Happy sat and thought a minute. Perhaps a few months ago she would have advised Walter to go after Paige with everything he had. To confess his love and steal her away from Tim for the sake of not ruining his life through inaction. However, it had been months since she’d walked in on Paige and Walter having an intense “moment”, and Walter had been less and less hostile toward Tim, even going so far as offering to be a reference if he decided to try to make his stay with Scorpion more permanent. Given Walter’s jealousy issues, this was either an insane amount of personal growth or he wasn’t as into Paige as he used to be. Regardless, though, this latest development definitely had to be affecting him. Happy tried the more direct approach, “How are you taking all this, Walt?”

Walter’s eyebrows came together, and for a moment he looked confused. “I think I’m okay.”

Happy’s own eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You think you’re okay? You’ve been in love with Paige for years.”

“Exactly. I was.” Walter shook his head and looked back up at Happy again, something unreadable on his face. “But I’m okay with her marrying Tim. I really do desire the well-being of them both…. And I think they will be happy together.”

“Well, that’s a surprise.”

“Yes, it is.”


	10. Dancing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This almost didn't get posted on time due to an interesting series of events surrounding my work involving bees, tie-dye, and meatballs (not all at once). But everything is going to be fine and this chapter is going up on time! Woo! I think of this as the beginning of the end in a way because after this there will only be four more chapters and things start moving pretty fast soon.... I'm gonna miss working on this! Anyway, enjoy!

Paige and Tim’s wedding was a lavish affair, something you dressed up for, which meant that Happy was especially uncomfortable in the only appropriate dress she owned. She was happy for Paige and Tim, she supposed, but the wedding was a little too much of what she lost.

Walter must have noticed the look on her face during the couple’s first dance because as soon as they called the rest of the couples to the dance floor he was next to her, offering her his hand. “Would you like to dance?” The request was straightforward with no pretext, but Walter’s face betrayed his concern for her to be standing alone on the sideline of a wedding that really should have been hers.

Happy gave Walter a small smile. “Sure.” She should stop feeling sorry for herself anyway. She had a good friend in Walter and didn’t want to take that for granted.

Happy was never much of a dancer but Walter’s moves were well measured and logical which made them easy to follow. Before she realized it, Happy was actually having a good time moving with the music. When the song ended, Walter went to get some water and Happy noticed Brad approaching from the corner of her eye. Tim had introduced Happy to Brad at the rehearsal dinner as an old Navy Seal buddy whose specialty was mechanics. They had talked engine repairs and firing pins for the better part of an hour until Happy decided that he wasn’t half-bad company. So, when he asked her to dance, she had little reason to say no. After all, it was just a dance—it meant nothing. Which is why it was a little startling halfway through the song to find a stern Walter suddenly at her elbow, asking to cut in. Brad looked disconcerted but handed her off all the same. Back in Walter’s arms, Happy looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “What was that about?”

“What?” The guy actually managed to school an innocent look on his face.

“You know what I mean. Don’t make me step on your foot.”

“I don’t like Brad. He’s… cocky.”

Happy blinked. “How the heck would you know?”

Walter’s eyebrows knitted together and he looked seriously down at Happy, “You don’t like him, do you?”

Happy paused a moment at his blunt question, “No, not especially, not that it’s your business. But I was going to ask him about how he modified the fuel hose in his Hummer before you cut in.”

“I do consider it to be my business. You’re my wi- friend. You’re my friend and colleague and it is in Scorpion’s best interest that no unfavorable associations be made.”

Happy looked incredulously up at her boss. Getting involved in his employee’s personal lives had been something Walter had pointedly avoided in the past and she didn’t believe for one minute that his ‘protectiveness’ of her was in the interest of Scorpion. But, try as she might, she just couldn’t be mad that he cut into her dance with Brad. Oddly, she much preferred to dance with Walter, so she just rolled her eyes and muttered, “Whatever. But, for the record, I can take care of myself.”

“I’m aware of that,” was all that Walter said before he sent her into a spin.

They danced amiably after that but, a few songs later, Happy had enough of the huge crowd of people around her and excused herself to get some water. Walter nodded and smiled as she left, then wandered off to find Ralph who was going to stay with him during the honeymoon.

Finding a secluded bench facing the pond a ways off from the tent, Happy sipped her water and took a moment to enjoy her solitude. It was cut short, however, by the arrival of Sylvester who, breathless from too much dancing, plopped down beside her and let out a contented sigh. “Great party, eh, Happy?”

“Sure.”

“Love just makes me happy. And Paige and Tim seem very much in love.”

“Ya think?”

“You and Walter had some pretty smooth moves on the floor,” Sly intoned, ignoring her sarcasm and passing a coy sidelong glance her way. “Anything special there?”

“What? No way. Ew.” Happy’s automatic response was reflexive. Where on earth was Sly coming from? But still… why was her heart beating faster? “Walter? Are you kidding me?”

Sly shrugged. “Just saying. I saw Walter’s face when you were dancing with Brad. Not happy. Plus, you and Walter have been pretty cozy lately. Lots of long talks?”

“It was for the USCIS…. plus we’re friends. Friends talk.”

Sylvester held up his hands in defense. “Okay, okay. I won’t say anything more. Just that if there was something going on.” Happy shot Sly a stern look and he quickly added. “And I’m not saying there is. But if there was, or if you ever find yourself liking someone else, I know that Toby would want you to be as happy as possible. I think he’d be proud of you for moving on.”

“Toby? Hah.” The harsh words slipped out of Happy’s mouth before she could stop them.

Sylvester shrugged again, “I don’t think you give him enough credit, Happy. The only thing he wanted more than to be with you was for you to be happy. And if someone else makes you happy, I think he’d approve.”

Happy didn’t have words for that so she just made a skeptical sound in the back of her throat and looked out toward the pond.

“Well, I’m getting my second wind.” Sly declared, standing up and stretching his arms. “I’ll see you later, Happy.”

And again Happy was alone with her thoughts. This time much more distressing thoughts. She decided that she didn’t particularly care to entertain them, though, and got up to find something else to occupy her brain. The something ended up being Sly and a slightly intoxicated Cabe conducting a hilarious dance-off in the middle of the dance floor. Setting aside any thoughts of Walter or Toby or anything else uncomfortable, Happy took a spot in the growing crowd of onlookers and, for just a few minutes, just enjoyed her family.


	11. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three chapters left after this one! I've been working on this story for so long, it's bittersweet to end it. When reading this chapter, please keep in mind that I'm assuming that a more or less substantial amount of time has passed since Toby's death as well as a fair amount of EQ development on Happy's part due to the things Toby had already taught her, working through her grief, and dealing with her and Walter's "fake" marriage. I wouldn't write season 1 Happy like this. Okay, I've ranted long enough, enjoy!

The rest of the reception was delightfully distracting, especially when Walter and a few demolitions expert Navy Seals decided to show Ralph the science of what happens to sparklers when carefully altered with the liquid from the chafing dishes and a roll of duct tape. Needless to say, the newly wedded couple’s send-off was a sight to behold.

Back at her apartment, though, with nothing to distract her, Happy’s mind strayed back to her uncomfortable conversation with Sylvester. The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she became. Did she like Walter? How could she? He was _Walter._ And what about Toby? Wasn’t she betraying him by even thinking about this? She thought about what Sylvester said about Toby wanting her to be happy, to find someone new. She still didn’t fully believe that the melodramatic doctor would relish the idea of her in another man’s arms, but she did have to admit to herself that Toby did want her to be happy—whatever that looked like. But _Walter_?

Happy took a deep breath and tried to stop pacing across her bedroom floor. If her pounding heart and flushed face were any indication, her emotions were definitely taking the reigns in this thought process. She needed to be more reasonable about this—less quixotic. Logically, if she was going to fall for someone new, she supposed it couldn’t be anyone remotely like Toby. Toby was one-of-a-kind and she would forever be comparing anyone similar to her crazy shrink. But Walter. Walter couldn’t be more different than Toby. Serious, pragmatic, private, efficient, awkward: Walter was everything that Toby wasn’t. But then again, Happy’s brow furrowed, the two men did share some important similarities. Both were fiercely loyal, reliable, and patient—all things that Happy valued in a relationship.

But _Walter_?

Happy shook her head firmly and redirected her thoughts away from her emotions and back toward more productive avenues. A turning point in realizing that she was in love with Toby was when her father told her that she would be able to truly open up when she found what made her happy. A spark of pain prodded Happy’s heart at the memory of falling for Toby, but she shoved it down and tried to focus on the matter at hand. Walter. Did Walter make her happy? Happy’s mind roamed over early morning breakfast making, late night talks, long Go games, touches that seemed all too comfortable now, the way she felt moving with him to the music at Paige’s wedding, the seamless manner in which they worked together on the most challenging projects, the smell of the lavender laundry detergent he switched to when he found out she liked it…. In a broader sense, by starting Scorpion and inviting her to take part, Walter created the family she never had growing up. Walter’s fierce defense of Scorpion meant that she always had a place to go and people who cared about her—something Happy valued more than she cared to admit. As odd as it may sound, Walter gave her a home.

Slipping out of her reminiscences, Happy found herself smiling. Then, all of a sudden, the pieces fell into place and it dawned on her: Walter made her _really_ happy. She _hated_ moving out. He made her feel safe and understood. His presence made her calmer and lighter. Every morning she couldn’t wait to get out of her lonely apartment and spend her day with him. It was entirely different from what she had felt for Toby—that wild, chaotic, passionate giving of herself—and more of a gentle and natural slide into something she couldn’t quite describe. Sinking down onto the edge of her bed, Happy groaned and faced the strange reality of her situation. Without her knowledge or permission it had happened: she had fallen for Walter O’Brien.

“Not good.”


	12. Delivery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't mentioned it in a while, but dianalw has had such a hand in making sure that this story is understandable and clear! She's an amazing beta.

Ralph muttered and stirred from his sleep, groggily opening his eyes and for a moment not knowing where he was. Realization dawned quickly, though: he was in Walter’s loft above the garage the morning after his mom and Tim’s wedding. A small smile passed over Ralph’s lips. This was the best place to be. When Walter had stopped being in love with his mom (Ralph figured about a month after Toby’s death), Ralph had been concerned that he would end up seeing a lot less of Walter. His theory proved to be incorrect, though, since, with Walter’s tacit approval of the relationship, Paige had started spending even more time with Tim, leaving Ralph with Walter and Happy more often. Occasionally, on late date nights, Ralph stayed over at the garage so that he could get a full night’s sleep. Ralph thought about those mornings: the smell of coffee and quiche or Walter’s infamous extra-fiber bran muffins (which somehow both tasted like and had the texture of tree bark), the sound of Walter and Happy’s morning conversations, the security he felt with them being just downstairs. Ralph often wondered if that was what it was like to have two parents.

Although Happy moved out after Walter got his citizenship, she continued, as far as Ralph could tell, to come nearly every morning to make breakfast with Walter. Old habits die hard, as Cabe would say. This morning was no different; Ralph could already hear Walter clanging around in the kitchen and shortly after, the sound of the garage door opening and Happy’s “Hello” and inquiry about breakfast. Curious himself, Ralph rolled off the couch and padded down the stairs, yawning.

“Good morning, Ralph,” Walter was the first to notice his arrival. “Would you like to help us make banana bread? Bananas are high in potassium which promotes proper body development. The walnuts we’re adding contain antioxidants that support brain health and increase inferential reasoning in young adults like yourself.”

“Also, this recipe is amazing—I altered the flour to moisture ratio for optimal texture and taste,” Happy said pushing a stool up to the table for Ralph to climb up on. “You can mash the bananas.”

“Okay,” Ralph stepped up to the table and grabbed a fork. The rest of breakfast went more or less normally, although Ralph noticed that Happy seemed particularly uneasy and kept glancing tensely at Walter when he wasn’t looking. Ralph decided he would need more data to draw any conclusions concerning Happy’s odd behavior.

Additional data arrived in the form of a knock on the door shortly after they finished breakfast. Walter pulled open the door to reveal a young man in a suit with a stack of papers in his hands.

“Can I help you?” Walter inquired, stepping aside to let the man take a few steps into the garage.

“Is this the work address of Walter O’Brien and Happy Quinn?”

“Who’s asking?” Happy moved from the breakfast table to join Walter in facing the man.

“I’m James Harding, a legal courier from Brown, McArthur, and Associates Law Firm. A ‘Ms. Paige Dineen’ requested divorce papers from us in Mr. O’Brien and Ms. Quinn’s name about a month ago,” he held the papers out to Walter.

Ignoring the proffered papers, Walter’s voice went cold, “So what was the holdup? A month is a long time to take to deliver simple papers.”

The man shifted on his feet uncomfortably, “Our offices caught fire a few weeks ago and most of our records went up in flames. It’s taken us a long time to get going again.”

“And your backups? Your servers should be backed up to a remote location daily.” Happy cut in harshly. Ralph noticed that she was looking at the stack of documents like they were about to bite her. “Finding your most recent records should have been a cinch.”

“Actually, to cut costs many firms have idiotically started to backup merely weekly which would explain the long delay in finding Paige’s request,” Walter’s voice was biting—a tone Ralph only remembered Walter using when he was really upset about something or a lot of people were in danger of dying. That he was using it concerning some random law firm was hardly consistent. Ralph’s brow furrowed. There was more to this than a bad backup plan.

“Look, I’m just the messenger,” James held up one of his hands in mock surrender. “I’m just here to drop off these papers. So who’s going to take them so I can leave?” Again he held out the stack.

“Just leave them on the table,” Walter muttered exasperatedly, turning to walk quickly back to his desk.

“And let yourself out.” Happy also turned to her own work area to start noisily banging on some device she was building.

Ralph watched James drop the papers on the nearest table and flee, the door slamming closed behind him. The noise of Happy’s banging and Walter’s mutters as he fiercely typed on his keyboard filled the air. Ralph just couldn’t figure it out. Just a few minutes earlier they were having a perfectly pleasant morning and now Walter and Happy were both acting really mad. The only thing substantially different was the presence of the divorce papers on their table. But Walter and Happy had been planning this divorce for months—years if you counted the total months they’d been legally wed. Why would it only start to bother them now? Or at all?

Ralph walked over to the table and looked at the papers. He wasn’t a legal expert but the top paper didn’t look singular in any way. He reached out to see if subsequent pages were odd because maybe-

“Don’t touch those!” Happy’s yell startled Ralph and he yanked his hand away and looked guiltily at the woman. “Sorry,” she amended quickly, shook herself as though she was scolding herself, and went back to work.

“Ralph why don’t you go over there and finish decoding the program on my tablet,” Walter’s voice was as encouraging as usual, but the area Walter indicated for Ralph to sit in was about as far as Ralph could be from the divorce papers yet still be in Walter’s sight-line.

Theory confirmed. The change in mood definitely had something to do with the divorce papers. Papers which, if he wanted to keep his hands, Ralph decided he would keep his distance from. He sighed and obediently took Walter’s tablet and plopped down on the couch Walter had nodded toward. The code was easy so Ralph went on autopilot and turned his thoughts instead to further assessment of the situation.

The boy genius laid out the facts in his mind. Happy and Walter had known each other for at least 7 ½ years by his rough calculations—no one was fond of talking about their past in great detail in the garage. He did know that Happy had helped Walter start Scorpion. They got married about 7 years ago for Walter’s visa and their relationship had continued as normal for 6 years. Then they had to physically act married for USCIS. Even after Walter got his citizenship, though, hugs, absentminded touches, and sitting close together had become a norm for the two geniuses. And Happy had continued to come to the garage early every morning even after moving out—not to work but to make breakfast or play Go with Walter. In fact, appearance-wise, little had actually changed from when they were pretending to be happily married. They rode together in Happy’s truck whenever they weren’t using the van for a mission. Walter said it was because Happy could get them to their destination the fastest but, given Walter’s driving history, Ralph always figured that Walter didn’t really have problems getting up to speed. This morning, Happy had been acting odd then the mood in the garage became suddenly tense with the arrival of the divorce papers. It reminded Ralph of when Tim had gotten another job offer in the mail a number of months ago and had brought the letter to the Dineen apartment to talk about it. His mom had treated the letter itself like an interloper in their home. When Ralph had asked why, she had thought for a while then said that the papers represented the idea of her being separated from someone she loved. If this was a similar-

Ralph’s thought process was interrupted by Cabe’s greeting as he entered the garage. “Morning, Walt, Happy, Ralph, I’m here to take you to school.” He walked over to the table and his eyes caught on the divorce papers. Before Ralph could warn him, he commented, “Oh, you’re finally gonna get that divorce, eh?” His question was met with a cold, uncomfortable silence and, glancing over, Ralph noticed Walter’s hands had frozen over his keyboard.

“I’m taking Ralph to school,” The silence broke with Happy suddenly at Ralph’s side, his backpack in her hand as she practically dragged him out of the garage.

In the moments before the door closed Ralph heard Cabe’s voice, “Son, I think it’s time you and me had a talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me tell you, I did not find writing from Ralph's perspective easy. I'm still not sure if I managed it sufficiently. However, I figured that this was a good time for an outsider's perspective and he's such a good candidate for it. :)  
> Just two more chapters left! I'm so excited to share them with y'all!


	13. Diagnostics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I want to thank my amazing beta: dianalw! This chapter (as well as the entire story) would not be nearly as poignant if not for her faithful suggestions and editing!

“A talk about what?” Walter moved around his desk to sit next to Cabe on the couch, glancing furtively over at the door Happy and Ralph had all but fled through a moment before.

“About what your feelings are toward Happy.”

“What do you mean? What feelings?” Walter felt the back of his neck heating up. Why was he so stressed?

“I’ve got eyes, son. And something is obviously going on between the two of you. The evidence is clear.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Walter defended, leaning back in his seat, confused.

Cabe breathed a long-suffering sigh. “The two of you are practically inseparable these days. If you’re not together, you talk about each other.”

Walter bristled. “Well, that is easily explainable. We work together closely so it’s reasonable to spend time with and talk about each other.”

Cabe raised an eyebrow. “You hug and cuddle like a couple of lovebirds.”

“I will admit that our relationship behaviors may have bled over from before I received my citizenship, but studies have shown that habits are hard to break.” Walter swallowed hard and reached up to rub the back of his neck. Happy’s touches had become a part of his day that he looked forward to more than he cared to admit.

“You danced with no one but Happy at Paige’s wedding, although you _were_ asked,” Cabe insisted.

“I don’t like dancing.” _And_   _you’d have to be an idiot_ _not to dance with the most beautiful woman in the room,_ Walter added mentally before he could stop himself.

“C’mon, Walter. I’ve seen the way you look at her workbench when she’s not around. Heck, you even ride together most days. I could go on, kid.”

“Scorpion regularly relies on Happy’s expertise so of course I will notice when she is not present. We ride together because Happy is an efficient driver.” Walter ticked off his defenses on his fingers, ignoring the slight panic rising in his chest.

Cabe looked skeptical, “Are you telling me that you have no feelings at all for Happy?’

Walter tugged on his tie and loosened his collar. It was suddenly uncomfortably warm in the garage. “I’m not good at assessing my feelings.” Even to Walter’s ears it sounded like he was avoiding the question, but it was true. Despite recent growth in his EQ, Walter still felt unqualified to accurately discern even his own deep feelings.

“Then let me help you. You took too long to realize your feelings for Paige and now she’s married to another man. I care about you too much to see you make the same mistake twice.” Cabe leaned forward and looked earnestly at Walter. When Walter hesitated he added, “When something goes wonky with your computer, don’t you at least run a diagnostic? I, and other members of the team, have noticed something wonky about your relationship with Happy. Think of it as running a diagnostic on your relationship.”

Well, when he put it that way, it did sound logical. “Fine, but I don’t think we will discover anything outside of an ordinary friendship and an employment relationship.”

Cabe didn’t look convinced. “First of all, what do you think a healthy romantic relationship should look like?”

Walter sat a minute. He didn’t really have much to go off of to answer that question. But if anyone would know how to have a healthy romantic relationship, his sister Megan would. So what was Megan and Sylvester’s relationship like? “Sylvester took good care of my sister when she was sick—he was there for her during a very difficult time and she was there for him when he was injured by that bomb. They protected, respected, and were honest with each other. Sylvester made my sister happy and my sister calmed Sylvester. Collaboration, loyalty, patience, are all important in a relationship.”

Cabe nodded. “And how many of those would apply to your relationship with Happy?”

Water’s eyebrows wrinkled together. There were definitely some similarities. Happy had been nothing but loyal, patient, and collaborative in their relationship. She had pulled him back from the brink when he’d gone down the rabbit hole with Collins. He had been with her through Toby’s death and her pregnancy ordeal. There were few people in his life that he respected more than he respected Happy Quinn. “I see your point, Cabe, but there’s no evidence that there is anything more than friendship between us. Nothing romantic.”

“Why did you cut into her dance with Brad, then?”

“I don’t like Brad. He’s cocky and intrusive, and I was assisting Happy in breaking association with him.”

“Isn’t that the same way you felt about Tim when he first showed interest in Paige?”

“Accurate but irrelevant. Tim and I are perfectly cordial now.” Walter was having more and more trouble objecting to Cabe’s logic, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet.

“Let’s think about it like this: Walter, how did you feel when Happy moved out?”

“Her absence did not go unnoticed.”

“Did you wish she was back? Think about her and lose sleep? Feel like someone took something really important away from you?”

Walter just stared at Cabe. What could he say to that? It was exactly what he had experienced the night after they had moved Happy back to her apartment. He actually couldn’t remember ever being so uncomfortable in his own bed.

After a good twenty seconds of silence Cabe finally said, “Seems to me like you might be falling for Happy, son.”

Walter’s brow crinkled. Wait. This didn’t make logical sense. “That doesn’t align with previous experience, though, Cabe. What I feel for Happy is nothing like what I felt for Paige.”

“Well, what did you feel for Paige?”

Walter thought for a while then answered carefully, “Paige charmed me. Being in love with her was exciting and stimulating. My heart rate increased whenever I saw her. I wanted to be close to her as much as possible.” Walter closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “Being around Happy is entirely different.”

“How so?”

Walter took a minute to think then slowly responded. “I’ve known Happy for almost eight years. Through starting Scorpion, dealing with Collins, losing my sister, she’s been the only constant person in my life. The most reliable person I’ve ever known. She’s smart but I know her well enough to know that she’s also kind. Happy’s just Happy. She’s as essential to Scorpion as I am. What I feel for her isn’t like what I felt for Paige, though. I feel calm around Happy. Comfortable.”

“You know, Walter, love takes many different forms. Just because you’re not jumping out of your skin every time you see Happy doesn’t mean that you don’t love her. All those exciting feelings fade as a relationship really develops. It sounds to me like you just skipped the honeymoon phase with Happy.”

Something in Walter’s brain snapped. This absolutely couldn’t be happening. “This whole thing is preposterous. Happy is my employee! And what about Toby, huh? My relationship with Happy is nothing like her relationship with him. I will never be anything like Toby.”

“I don’t know, son. But I’ll tell you one thing: love doesn’t have rules like math and science do. Things just don’t always happen the same way twice. In fact, it almost never does. As far as Toby is concerned, I honestly believe that he would appreciate how well you’ve taken care of Happy.” At that Walter winced and Cabe paused.

“I have no wish to be disloyal to Toby,” Walter said quietly, swallowing at a pesky lump in his throat.

Cabe leaned forward so he was eye-to-eye with Walter, “Denying Happy a chance at security, happiness, and love because you’re afraid of dishonoring the memory of Toby is perhaps the most disloyal thing you could do to him. Mark my words, son, Toby never wanted Happy to be miserable. If she could have happiness again, he’d never deny her the chance.”

Walter nodded slowly, unsure of what to say next.

Cabe looked solemnly at Walter before continuing. “Here’s what it comes down to: despite every objection, I can see you don’t want to get divorced from Happy. So, regardless of what you think you know, if you want to stay married to that wonderful woman you had better say something. Because I’m looking at a stack of papers over there that could derail your life.”

Walter sighed and massaged his forehead, finally ready to be honest with himself. Cabe was right. Despite all his objections and all his logic, he didn’t want a divorce from Happy. He wanted to go back to debriefing their work at night and waking up beside her in the morning. He wanted to be around her as much as possible. He wanted to be Happy’s husband, for real this time. “I don’t know, Cabe. What if she says ‘no’? What if she wants a divorce?”

“Given the way she stormed out of here the moment I said ‘divorce’, I doubt that. But, you’re right, it is still a risk. She may even say ‘no’ just because she’s scared. And if she does, it’s your job to convince her otherwise. Because, listen to me, kid, Happy’s worth it.”

Walter swallowed hard and stared over at Happy’s abandoned workbench before murmuring, “You’re not incorrect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it; this is probably one of my favorite chapters ever to have written. I love writing dialogue, and writing a conversation between Cabe and Walter was a lot more enjoyable than I expected it to be. Next chapter wraps this all up and should be posted sometime next week.


	14. Beneficial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have it: the final chapter. Apologies for taking so long to post it--life has this pesky habit of getting ridiculously busy every once in a while. This story has been so much fun to write and I've been blown away by the response I've gotten--thank you to everyone who has read, left kudos, and/or reviewed! And thanks again to my phenomenal beta, dianalw. Without her, this whole thing would be a mess. So, without further ado, enjoy the conclusion of Never the Same Way Twice.

Happy opened the door to the garage slowly and sheepishly looked around. She tried to ignore the sick turn of her stomach when she saw the divorce papers on the table where they left them. Biting her lower lip she made herself look at Walter’s work area. After her abrupt exit that morning she wasn’t sure how he would react to her being back, and she also wasn’t sure she was up to explaining herself. Walter was at his computer as usual, his eyes trained studiously on his screen—he didn’t seem to notice that she had arrived. Part of Happy wanted to bail again and maybe drive around for another hour or two before facing him and the papers on the table. However, that would only be delaying the inevitable, so Happy took a deep breath, stepped into the garage, and announced her presence.

“Hi.”

Walter looked up from his work, a surprised but not unpleasant look on his face. “Happy! Welcome back. I’m assuming Ralph made it safely to school?”

“Sure did. Squirt’s at this very moment learning his facts and figures,” Happy walked further into the garage, unsure of what to say, but not ready to go back to her work area yet.

“Wonderful,” Walter said shortly, took a deep breath, then went on. “Speaking of facts and figures, I’ve been doing some research into the benefits of marriage, of which there are a substantial amount.”

Happy felt her breath catch in her throat as she stepped closer to lean on Walter’s desk. Where was he going with this? “Oh, really?”

“Yes. Like the joint filing of taxes and tax-free transfer of assets. If something were to happen to one of us, dealing with the estate would be relatively painless. I know that Scorpion would be in good hands if I were to die.” Walter spoke quickly, like he was desperate to get it all out.

Happy’s brow wrinkled at the mention of death but nodded for him to continue anyway, “Okay...”

“Not to mention the pooling of retirement and health insurance benefits. Financially, marriage is an advantageous situation for both parties,” Walter looked so earnest that Happy’s felt her heart begin to soften and slow. If Walter was getting at not wanting a divorce, she was all in.

“Especially with the combining of physical resources like food and appliances. It’s efficient, economical,” Happy added, hoping he would catch the encouragement in her voice.

Walter suddenly looked relieved and stood up to step around the desk to where she was, his face and body dangerously close to hers, “And did you know that married people live longer and are less likely to suffer from depression?” He started to turn back to his desk. “There are several scientific studies I could show you--”

Walter’s speech was cut off by Happy’s lips crashing into his own. This kiss was very different from the chaste ones they had shared in the past; Happy leaned into Walter and felt his hands creep up her arms to settle on her back and pull her closer. After a few too-short moments, Walter pulled back to look at Happy with a stunned, but pleased, look in his face. He swallowed hard before speaking.

“Given these reasons and taking into account some… significant feelings I have for you, I think it would be prudent _not_ to get a divorce.” At this he paused and looked intently into Happy’s eyes. “I’ve had few constants in my life, Happy, and you have been the best one. You’re loyal, intelligent, and fascinating. You’ve stood by me through every circumstance and your friendship has never wavered. These past months have made me realize that there’s no one else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. Happy, I want to stay married. To you.” His voice was a bit husky and somehow his eyes still held a question.

Happy laughed and placed her hands on his chest, willing this moment to be real. “Me too, Walter. And I suppose I should tell you that I have some of my own ‘significant feelings’. I didn’t think it was possible after Toby, but you were patient with me and _there._ Despite how it may seem sometimes, I really like being with you, Walter—you have more going for you than that brain of yours. You’ve created the only lasting stability I have ever experienced—you’re the only important person in my life who has never left me—and, frankly, I don’t have any desire to ever be away from you, either.”

Walter grinned. “Good. Great. Glad we’re on the same page.” Suddenly, though, he backed away from Happy’s touch and started to put on his coat.

Happy brows wrinkled, “What the heck are you doing, O’Brien?”

“Oh, I thought it was obvious,” Walter grabbed Happy’s coat and held it out to her. “We’re going to retrieve your belongings. What sort of husband and wife don’t live together?”

Happy grinned at the eager look on his face and accepted her coat from Walter’s outstretched arm, “I’ll drive.”

 

End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...  
> ...  
>  So I’ve been trying to figure out if this needs an epilogue and I can’t decide. What do y’all think? Does it feel complete? Are there any scenarios or parts to their relationship you wish I had explored or explored more? Their attraction? Telling the team? A fluffy flash-forward? Let me know!
> 
> And thanks for reading.


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